HEKS/EPER is making a difference in the «Social inclusion» in Myanmar

After two decades military dictatorship, Myanmar (formerly Burma) has been in a process of political and economic opening since 2012. Regrettably, however, today the majority of the population is disenchanted with the supposed democratization. Myanmar continues to be centrally controlled and ruled by the military, and internal conflicts are played out with the use of weapons. The principal victims are people in rural areas, who make up 70 per cent of Myanmar's poor.
Worldwide, Myanmar is among the countries most vulnerable to natural disasters. Tropical cyclones, flooding as well as regular droughts claim thousands of lives each year and compromise the livelihoods of smallholder families.

Ever more people are being excluded because of their social background, ethnicity, age, gender or religion. Integrating people with a migration background can be compounded, for example, by the lack of the requisite language proficiency, ignorance of Switzerland's cultural specificities or by disadvantages on the job market. HEKS/EPER works actively to ensure that the affected people have access to education, work, government programmes and services. But integration is incumbent on society as a whole, which calls for openness as well as regulatory structures that ensure the right of social participation for all. This implies that everyone has the same rights and opportunities and that features such as gender, age, social background, nationality or religion do not give rise to discrimination.